[pct-l] Sun Protection

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

In a message dated 1/28/04 9:20:22 PM, pmags@yahoo.com writes:

<< I do not use any sun protection on my legs, I can't
even remember the last time my legs burned. But, I do
have a somewhat dark complexion -esp. after being in
the sun for an extented period of time. 
  >>

I used the natural tan strategy for my face and hands, the only exposed parts 
of my body. I wore sun creme on them the first few days, exposing myself to 
more and more sun without the creme each day. After that I didn't use any sun 
protection for the rest of the thru hike with no sunburn whatsoever. I would 
have if I had had to travel on snow for long periods, but that did not happen. I 
don't like sunglasses because I don't normally wear glasses and wearing them 
all day gives me a headache after a while. Plus I like looking at the world in 
natural colors. 
  I didn't use a sun hat either. I tried one at first, but found that I 
overheated with a covered head that couldn't vent. I just got used to walking in 
the sun without one.
   The worst sunburn I ever got was while climbing Mt Shasta on snow and in 
the fog. I dumbly thought the fog was blocking the sun when in fact it was 
magnifying it. My entire face turned black, and I even got blisters with pus 
coming out of them. Then the skin cracked and I had red streaks criss crossing my 
face. For about a week, I learned how horribly disfigured feel when going out 
in public. People would glance at me in horror and quickly glance away. After 
peeling, my face was as good as new, kind of like a chemical peel that some 
women get, I would imagine. No evidence of skin cancer some 30 years later
 David C